Lyme Regis' station history

Inspector of Lifeboats visited station with a view to a boat being fitted with airtight boxes to be used as a lifeboat.

Gold Medal awarded to Captain C C Benett RN, and Silver Medals to William Porter and John Freeman for their gallant services to the vessel Unity that was wrecked between Lyme Regis and Charmouth and the saving of four people on 23 November 1824.

Inspector applied for lifeboat in view of frequency of wrecks.

Inspector reported converted boat no longer used. Committee of Management agreed to pay one third towards cost of a lifeboat to be stationed at Lyme.

Committee ordered Forrest to build a 27ft boat on Mr Peake's plan. In September 1853 Institution advised of safe arrival of boat.

Silver Medal awarded to Mr William Bridle for a service on 26/27 December 1852 when the barque Heroine struck rocks in a hurricane. Four out of five of the shoreboat crew lost their lives when it capsized whilst endeavouring to help a ship's boat into harbour. They were H Cox, R Black, H Hearne and W Harvey. Committee of Management voted £20 to local fund for dependants of drowned men.

Lifeboat capsized whilst on service to a wrecked brig La Jeune Rose with the loss of one crew member, Henry Martin. Committee of Management voted £20 to his widow.

Silver Medal to William Callaway, Mariner, in testimony of his very gallant services in rescuing two men who were capsized from the Secret a small boat taking part in a regatta during squally weather, on 22 August.

John Gerrard, Master of the fishing smack Busy was killed on 29 November at Burton Bradstock whilst attempting to rescue the crew of fishing boats being driven ashore in a heavy gale. The RNLI voted £10 to the local fund for his widow.

Silver Medal awarded to Miss Alice B Le Geyt, a young lady on holiday at Lyme Regis who happened to be out in a small boat, immediately rowed through the surf at the risk of her life to rescue two boys who had fallen into the sea on 4 August 1864.

Silver Medal awarded to Lt W H Elton RN for putting off in a coastguard galley during a heavy gale and saving two men from the schooner Vulcan on 8 January.

Lifeboat house given to owner of site who sold a new site to the Institution for £250.

New lifeboat house constructed at a cost of £320.

Water laid on to lifeboat house.

A Centenary Vellum awarded.

Station closed. Motor lifeboats had been stationed at Weymouth and Exmouth.

Inshore lifeboat station established in May with a D class lifeboat.

The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to Robert Jefford and Lionel Harry Fisher in connection with the service on 25 June, when five people were rescued from the cabin cruiser Lilian which had capsized in Lyme Bay.

The ILB was used to take Robert and his bride from church on their wedding day on 8 October 1967.

The ILB capsized on service to the catamaran Karuna on 17 January and Robert Jefford was drowned, the two other members of the crew survived. The Institution pensioned the widow and the widowed mother of Mr Jefford.

A Hatch class lifeboat (17.002) sent to station in April.

D class lifeboat withdrawn.

Bronze Medal awarded to Mr John Hodder, member of the Lyme Regis inshore lifeboat crew and Letters of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Admiral Sir Wilfred Woods sent to Mr David Hallett, Deputy Launching Authority, Mr J Bolton, Auxiliary Coastguard, the crew of the fishing vessel Barbarella, and the crew of the fishing vessel Sea Soldier, for a Shore Boat service to a capsized dinghy on 14 March when, in very poor visibility and very low sea temperatures due to continual snow showers, John Hodder dived over the side without a life-jacket or any form of buoyancy and succeeded in rescuing one of two boys, who had been out in a dinghy, and was himself in a state of complete exhaustion when picked up after being in the water for almost 30 minutes.

The Hatch class lifeboat (17.002) replaced with an Atlantic 21 in September.

The Thanks of the Institution accorded to Helmsman John Hodder in recognition of his skill and leadership when the French yacht Versean and her crew of four were saved. The yacht was drifting in broken water over Broad Ledge in a south-south-westerly gale and heavy seas on the 31 March.

Bronze Second Service Clasp awarded to Helmsman John Hodder in recognition of his courage and skill when, on 13 August, in a south westerly storm and a rough sea, he took the inshore lifeboat alongside the yacht White Kitten which was dragging her anchor off Beer Head, transferred crew member Colin Jones aboard, rescued two women and a child, and having landed them, proceeded to sea again to meet the yacht and escorted her to safety. Crew member Colin Jones was awarded the Bronze Medal in recognition of his courage and skill when he sailed the yacht, with two men on board, to Lyme Regis. The Ralph Glister Award for 1979 was awarded in 1980 to Helmsman John Hodder and crew members Colin Jones, Paul Wason and Graham Turner for this service. Each man received a special certificate and a monetary award.

Presentation of a new Atlantic 21 lifeboat provided by the Independent Order of Foresters took place on 21 September.

The Thanks of the Institution accorded to Helmsman John Hodder in recognition of his exceptional skill and seamanship when the lifeboat recovered two bodies and rescued three people who had become trapped by the tide below the sea wall about six cables north east of Lyme Regis Cobb on 11 September.

Construction commenced in November 1996 of a new B class boathouse on the Cobb and was completed in July 1997. New Atlantic 75 lifeboat B741 placed on service on 29 September.

The Trustees of the RNLI at their meeting on 3 November confirmed an anniversary Vellum to acknowledge the completion of 150 years service as a lifeboat station.

The cost of the refit of lifeboat B-741 Pearl of Dorset was provided by the generous bequest of Mona & Malcom Bennett-Williams 2010.

The new station Atlantic 85 B-857 Spirit of Loch Fyne was placed on service February 2012. This lifeboat was funded by the Loch Fyne Restaurants. Lifeboat B-741 Pearl of Dorset has been withdrawn to the relief fleet.